Small Groups. Big Adventures. Spirited Friendships.

Since 1984 Kindred Tours has been exploring the world, with a particular focus on the American Southwest.

We also offer domestic travel, some international travel and cruises.

Safe and affordable tours designed for grown-up people.

“We are all travelers in the wilderness of the world, and the best we can find in our travels is an honest friend.”Robert Louis Stevenson

TESTIMONIAL

Our experience with Kindred Tours has always been fantastic. The hard work has already been done for us. We know signing up that our tour has been well-planned, with a professional driver at the wheel, and a great tour guide leading the way. We’re able to relax and enjoy every moment. But most of all it’s the people, there’s nothing like traveling with a small group of friends.

Don and Bev Buck

TESTIMONIAL

I moved to Arizona in 2009 and I didn’t know anybody. Traveling with Kindred Tours not only introduced me to my new state, with all of its history, backroads and great scenery, but I’ve also made new friends. As a single woman, I travel confidently with Kindred Tours, exploring the American Southwest and destinations that I would have never thought of heading off to on my own.

Barbara Pitney

TESTIMONIAL

I love the variety of trips offered by Kindred Tours! I’ve enjoyed everything–from half day local tours to cruises, and I’ve always felt safe. That’s important to me.

Nancy Appel

The Experience

Trips and Tours

Southwest Adventure Series

This is the classic Kindred Tour, small group exploration of the Great Southwest-- America's playground! We're talking Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Colorado and Southern California. And, as luck would have it, we are strategically headquartered smack-dab in the middle of all of this natural wonder! These are driving tours, ranging from one-day trips to week-long journeys.

Club Styling Series

Way back when, our bus driver took a wrong turn, which led to a hysterical day filled with big laughs and spontaneous side-trips. Someone on the tour described that rolling party vibe as “Club Styling” and it just stuck. Today we’re Club Styling whenever we get the band back together—festivals, parties, Camp TJ, and Broadway shows… because life’s a party and you don’t want to be the girl in the bathroom.

Backyard Series

More than just the scorched desert of Wile E. Coyote, sunny Phoenix has much to offer! There’s a trail for every skill level, cheap eats, ethnic cuisine, a burgeoning brewery scene, tranquil desert gardens, music, dance, world-class museums and theatres. Big on adventure, easy on the pocketbook, The Backyard Series invites you to get out and explore the Valley of the Sun!

Gallivant Series

Kindred Tours offers a wide variety of domestic travel, along with some international destinations and cruises. These extended tours make up the Gallivant Series. Whether you travel by road, rail, river or sea—experience the confidence that comes from a tour that has been artfully planned. Working on your bucket list and you don’t see your dream destination? Call us. We can send you anywhere in the world.

We’ll always encourage you to USE THE WAIT LIST! When a trip fills, and it can happen very quickly, we begin a wait list. If there’s enough participation to fill a second bus, we’ll let you know. We’ll also check with our wait list, should we have any cancellations, fielding those requests in the order in which they were received.

You can pay for your tour by credit card, over the phone, when you call to sign up. We do not keep your card credit information on file. You can also sign up for a tour, receive confirmation of your reservation from the office, and then pop a check into the mail. Most reservations for extended tours require a $100 deposit, with the balance to be paid closer to the date of the tour.

We get asked this question a lot, and the answer is always yes! Don’t let the fact that you are single keep you from signing up for a tour. The majority of people who travel with Kindred Tours are single. They sign up for a tour, we assign them a roommate, and they often go on to become lifelong friends. We have decades of success matching roommates.

That depends on where you live. We currently offer four pickup locations around the Greater Phoenix Valley. Call the office should you require further directions.

East Valley:

Mesa Hilton Hotel

1011 W. Holmes Ave

Mesa, AZ 85210

This is the Fiesta Mall region, and the Hilton Hotel is easily viewed from the U.S. 60/Superstition Freeway. Exit the freeway at Alma School and head east to Holmes. Park and wait for the bus at the west end of the hotel parking lot.

Scottsdale:

Fry’s Market Place

8900 E. Via Linda

Scottsdale, AZ 85258

The Scottsdale pickup location can be easily reached via AZ 101/Pima Freeway. Exit the freeway at 90th Street, and travel east to Via Linda. Look for Fry’s parking lot on the north side of the street. Park and watch for the bus to pull up in front of the store.

Phoenix:

Paradise Valley Community Center

17402 N. 40th Street

Phoenix, AZ 85032

The Paradise Valley Community Center is easily found on 40th Street, north of Bell Road.

Northwest Valley:

Springhill Suites Hotel at Arrowhead Town Center

7810 W. Bell Road

Glendale, AZ 85308

This is the Arrowhead Mall region. Springhill Suites Hotel is on Bell Road, west of AZ 101/Pima Freeway. Turn north on 79th Street and use the parking lot on the west side of the hotel, facing the Old Country Buffet.

If you really feel that you’d like to have your own hotel room, consider paying a single supplement. A single supplement is just the additional 50% on the hotel room expense that you would have shared with a roommate.

Kindred Travelers range in age from 50 to over 100 years old, an enormous span that encompasses a huge range of abilities. We work hard every day to provide great tours to meet the needs and the interests of our entire group. If you are unsure if a tour is right for you, we invite you to call the office to discuss your concerns. We’re happy to provide you with more detail about a tour and answer your questions. We’ll work with you to find your perfect tour.

This is everyone’s first question! But you needn’t worry about bathroom breaks. We serve coffee and doughnuts early into every day trip, usually at a roadside rest-area, and always conveniently located near a restroom. We make regular pit stops through the day, and our drivers brag that they know every public restroom in the American Southwest. Ask any Kindred Traveler and they’ll say that they all had concerns about bathroom breaks heading into their first tour that were quickly forgotten.

Absolutely! And there are so many great ways that we can work together. You’re welcome to select a tour that is offered on our website or in our newsletter, or call us to discuss planning a tour specifically for your group. We’ll take care of all of the details, provide you with marketing materiel, and collect payments. Just give us a call, and we’ll get started.

It’s always a good idea to discuss any dietary restrictions with the office before you sign up for a tour. Travel can be tricky, and not every tour we offer can accommodate every special diet. Here at Kindred Tours, we are unabashed foodies, planning dining experiences months in advance and including some information about the restaurants we’ll be enjoying in the descriptions of our tours. We do our very best to select restaurants that offer something for everyone, but again, travel can be tricky.

Featured Tour

“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body,but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out,and loudly proclaiming “Wow! What a Ride!”Hunter S. Thompson